Singapore has executed a 65-year-old man for trafficking in at least 78.77g of heroin despite pleas for clemency.
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) confirmed the execution and said in a press release that the capital sentence of death imposed on Roshdi bin Abdullah Altway ("Roshdi") was carried out on Thursday, 10 April.
The statement read, "Roshdi was convicted of having in his possession for the purpose of trafficking, not less than 78.77 grammes of diamorphine, or pure heroin. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grammes. 78.77 grammes of diamorphine is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 940 abusers for a week."
For the unversed, Roshdi was accorded full due process under the law, and was represented by legal counsel during the trial and appeal.
On 17 August 2020, Roshdi, who escaped the gallows more than two decades ago for killing a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer, was convicted and sentenced to death. He appealed against his conviction and sentence, and the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal on 11 November 2021.
In a written judgment released, Justice Valerie Thean rejected Roshdi's story that he was merely safekeeping the drugs and that the S$18,000 found on him was meant for a delivery of anchovies.
Roshdi's petition to the President for clemency was also unsuccessful.
CNB said, "Capital punishment is imposed only for the most serious crimes, such as the trafficking of significant quantities of drugs which cause very serious harm, not just to individual drug abusers, but also to their families and the wider society."
